Growing cauliflower
Brassica oleracea var. botrytis · also called Phool gobhiA cool season cole crop grown for its white curd. Varieties fall into early, mid and late groups, and each group needs its own sowing time.
Gangetic plains: eastern Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, West Bengal plains
At a glance
Cauliflower in the Gangetic plains
Early crop from a late July nursery, cut from late October; mid and late groups follow through winter11,3
About 3 months for early types from nursery sowing, up to 5 months for late types.
No published guide covers this for the Gangetic plains, so this is an AI suggestion. Check it with local advice before you rely on it.Last week of July to the second week of August (early variety Kashi Gobhi-25)11,3
65 to 85 days after sowing11
Across India
When to sow it
Twelve growing regions, January to December. Your region comes first.
Too late this season
The window here was Late September to mid-October (late Snowball group). The next one opens in July.
- Nursery
- Transplant
- Harvest
- Under cover
- Today
Compare all 12 regionsShow fewer regions
See the dates as a table
| Region | Sow | Nursery | Transplant | Harvest |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Gangetic plains | Last week of July to the second week of August (early variety Kashi Gobhi-25)Late July to late August (mid groups)Late September to mid-October (late Snowball group) | Last week of August to the second week of September (25 to 30 day old seedlings) | Last week of October to mid-November (Varanasi) | |
| Temperate Himalaya | April to May (early varieties, mid hills)July to August (mid-season varieties, mid hills)September (late varieties, mid hills)April to May (late Snowball varieties, high hills) | |||
| Cold desert | Under cover: April, under polythene | Late May to early June, once frosts end | August to September | |
| Sub-tropical foothills | May to June (early varieties)August (mid-season varieties)September to October (late varieties)May (intermediate low zone, first crop)August to September (intermediate low zone, second crop) | October to early November (late variety Kt-25) | End of January to end of March (late variety Kt-25) | |
| North-west plains | Mid-May to mid-June (early groups)Late July to late August (mid groups)Late September to mid-October (late Snowball group) | June to July (early varieties)August to mid-September (main season varieties)October to the first week of November (late varieties) | ||
| North-east hills and valleys | Mid-July to the first week of August (early)First week of September to the last week of October (mid)Up to the first week of November (late)Last week of August (early, North Bank Plain Zone)First week of November (late mid, North Bank Plain Zone)Last week of November (late, North Bank Plain Zone) | October (early crop)December to January (mid crop)February to March (late crop) | ||
| Arid west | September to mid-October | October to mid-November | December to February | |
| Central plateau | July to early August (early varieties)September to mid-October (mid varieties) | August to early November, 4 to 5 weeks after sowing | Late October to February | |
| Deccan plateau | August to mid-October | September to mid-November | Late November to February | |
| South interior | September to mid-October | October to mid-November | Late December to February | |
| West coast | August to November | |||
| East coast | September to mid-October | October to mid-November | Late December to February |
From seed to harvest
One season, day by day
Days from sowing
Before sowing
Field preparation
Well rotted farmyard manure or compost
20 to 25 tonnes per hectare
Mix into the soil while preparing the land.
No published guide covers this for the Gangetic plains, so this is an AI suggestion. Check it with local advice before you rely on it.
Day 0
Sow
Day 90 to 150
Last picking
No published guide covers this for the Gangetic plains, so this is an AI suggestion. Check it with local advice before you rely on it.
Before sowing
Well rotted farmyard manure or compostNo published guide covers this for the Gangetic plains, so this is an AI suggestion. Check it with local advice before you rely on it.
20 to 25 tonnes per hectare · Mix into the soil while preparing the land. · Field preparation
Day 0
Sow
Day 4 to 7
Seeds come up3,8,9,1,2Part of this comes from the sources cited. The rest is an AI suggestion.
Day 21 to 42
Day 65 to 85
First picking11
At regular intervals from about 65 to 85 days after transplanting
Day 90 to 150
Last pickingNo published guide covers this for the Gangetic plains, so this is an AI suggestion. Check it with local advice before you rely on it.
Water every 8 to 12 days, more at curd formation.No published guide covers this for the Gangetic plains, so this is an AI suggestion. Check it with local advice before you rely on it.
What it needs
Soil, sun and warmth
Soil pH1,2,3,7
6 to 7
Grows on soils from sandy loam to clay if they are fertile and rich in organic matter. Light, well drained soils suit the early crop; loams to clay loams hold moisture for the mid and late crops and give higher yields.
SunlightNo published guide covers this for the Gangetic plains, so this is an AI suggestion. Check it with local advice before you rely on it.
At least 6 hours a day
Full sun in an open field. Curds of open types turn yellow in direct sun, so their own leaves are folded over them.
Temperature3,7,2
Grows best at 15 to 21 °C
Takes light frost.
Monthly temperatures for the Gangetic plains aren't in the library yet.
Water and feeding
WateringNo published guide covers this for the Gangetic plains, so this is an AI suggestion. Check it with local advice before you rely on it.
Water right after transplanting. In the rains, water only in dry spells and drain standing water; in winter, water every 8 to 12 days. Keep the soil moist while curds form.
WeedingNo published guide covers this for the Gangetic plains, so this is an AI suggestion. Check it with local advice before you rely on it.
Hoe shallowly two or three times in the first five weeks and earth up the plants about a month after transplanting.
| When | What | How much | How |
|---|---|---|---|
| Field preparation | Well rotted farmyard manure or compost | 20 to 25 tonnes per hectare | Mix into the soil while preparing the land. |
Varieties and yield
15 to 25 tonnes a hectare
Yields vary with the plot, the seed and the season.
Kashi Gobhi-25
Early open-pollinated variety from ICAR-IIVR, released for Uttar Pradesh. Curds of 500 to 600 g from late October.
Pests and diseases11
Organic and cultural controls only.
Tobacco caterpillar (Spodoptera litura)
Signs
The main pest of the crop; caterpillars eat the leaves.
What to do
- Spray Spodoptera NPV in the evening when needed.
Alternaria leaf spot
Signs
A major leaf disease of the crop: dark spots on the leaves.
Prevention
- Rotate with crops outside the cabbage family for at least two years.
Damping off
Signs
Seedlings rot and die in the nursery.
Prevention
- Solarise the nursery soil under clear polythene for 20 to 40 days in May and June.
Seed and the season's end
Saving seed1,2Part of this comes from the sources cited. The rest is an AI suggestion.
Seed of early and main season varieties can be grown in the plains; seed of late (Snowball) varieties only in the hills, where flowering gets mild weather. Keep 1,600 m between cauliflower varieties and other cole crops, keep at least 100 true-to-type healthy plants, and pull out off-types three times: in leaf, at curd formation and at flowering. Bees and other pollinators must be about at flowering.
When the seed is ready
Pods turn brown.
Cleaning the seed
Cut the branches in two or three pickings as the pods brown. Stack them, turn them upside down and let them dry for 4 to 5 days more, then thresh and clean.
Dry the seed well in shade and keep it in an airtight container in a cool, dry place.
After the last picking11
Rotate with crops outside the cabbage family for at least two years.
Destroy diseased plant remains after harvest.
Rotation
Do not follow cauliflower with another cole crop: rotate with non-cruciferous crops for at least two years, and keep crucifers out for three years where club root has appeared. A cauliflower and paddy rotation helps keep stalk rot down.
Sources
Where this comes from
Our team has checked this guide against the sources at the end of the page.Reviewed by our team on 13 November 2026.
These published guides are the sources. Where none of them covers a detail for this region, the page shows an AI suggestion and labels it.
- Package of Practices for Vegetable Crops 2020 (Cauliflower; insect-pest and disease management in cole crops)Directorate of Extension, Sher-e-Kashmir University of Agricultural Sciences and Technology of JammuRead the source
- Cauliflower: intercultural operations (weed control, earthing up, blanching)National Horticulture Board, Government of IndiaRead the source
- Kashi Gobhi-25: an early cauliflower variety for North Indian plain (Indian Horticulture, May to June 2023)ICAR-Indian Institute of Vegetable Research, Varanasi (Singh, Bhuvaneswari, Karmakar, Singh and Singh), published by ICARRead the source
- Production Technology of Vegetables and Flowers (VSF-231), Part I: Vegetable production (Cauliflower)CSK Himachal Pradesh Krishi Vishvavidyalaya, Palampur (College of Agriculture course notes)Read the source
- Cauliflower (Horticulture: vegetables), TNAU Agritech PortalTamil Nadu Agricultural UniversityRead the source
- Cauliflower: soil and climateNational Horticulture Board, Government of IndiaRead the source
- Cauliflower: propagation (nursery bed, season of planting, raising of seedlings)National Horticulture Board, Government of IndiaRead the source
- Cauliflower: planting (land preparation, spacing, method of planting)National Horticulture Board, Government of IndiaRead the source
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